Risen (Haunted Series Book 22)

faced Lucifer.
“Well,” Lucifer asked.
“I want to know if Mia’s crime is truly a death sentence?  Or is it a convenient way of getting rid of Michael’s healer?”
There was a lot of hissing from the others.  Abigor stood up.  “That is a very good question, Altair.  Unfortunately…”
“Sit down!” Lucifer said.  “Mia let you-know-who into here where he could destroy all of us.”
“But yet, you let his jailer, who defected with him, be your star witness?  How does this make you and your generals look?  You won’t fight Michael because he’s got a healer, but now you have the healer. Imprison her, don’t kill her.  She walked right in and made no attempt to assassinate any of you.  I hate to see how your young recruits apply themselves, knowing that their generals killed a little girl because they were afraid.”
“Altair!  That’s enough!” Mia cried.  “He’s giving me an out.  I’ve chosen my opposition…” Mia stopped talking and stared at the line of generals.  Before, there were only five, but now there were six.
“They won’t let you fight her because she’s already dead,” he said.
Lucifer turned to his generals.  “Is this true?” he asked.
“After her testimony,” the general to his right answered, “he rewarded her with a body.  She then rushed to the prison and sought out her lover.  The demon-who-has-no-name cornered her and devoured her.  He didn’t stop with her brain.  He ate all of her.”
“Efing beast,” Mia said.  “If he ate her brain, then he knows his name now,” she said, looking at each general, trying to identify the imposter.
Lucifer frowned.
Altair wavered.
“I choose to fight Ruax,” Mia announced.
“We can’t give him a sword,” Abigor said and then asked, “How do we contain him?”
“You haven’t.  He’s sitting on the end,” Mia said, pointing to the cloaked general on the far left of Lucifer.  “How about it, Ruax?  Wanna fight a girly-girl?”
The demon stood up.  He smiled, his teeth sharp.  “I’d love to continue the conversation we were having when you dropped us into the pit.”
“You can fight and talk, can’t you? Or do you need to concentrate?” Mia goaded.
Ruax laughed.  “It hardly seems sporting, but as the kids say, ‘What the hell.’” He took the sword away from the nearest general, decapitating him before he jumped down onto the courtyard.
“Don’t you want to eat him?  He looks pretty fresh,” Mia said, taking off her jacket and handing it to Sticks.  I need a sword.  Abigor, where is my stuff?”
“Here,” Altair said, giving her his sword.  “He knows you.  He’ll not fail you.”
“Thank you,” she said, sliding the sword along her arm until it bonded with her.  Mia unleashed her wings.  “Altair, take Sticks to safety,” she requested.  “If this goes south, they will be too busy to look out for him.”
“Why do I always get babysitting duty?” Altair teased before he extended his wings and picked Sticks up and flew him to the top of the courtyard where they settled in to watch the fight.
“I believe we were talking about courtesy,” Mia said, raising up and releasing her armor, letting the feathers hit the stone floor, causing a rapid-fire assault on their ears.  “I’d like you to know, I have the ability to fly.”
“Thank you.  I gain the strength and abilities of those whom I eat.  That was Aosoth’s brother I killed.  They have this snake thing going on,” he said as a very familiar whip was presented.
“I extend my appreciation of the sportsmanship,” Mia said, smiling.
“Before we begin, tell me, Mia, what makes you think that you can best me when they are soiling themselves in fear right now?”
“It’s because I have to,” Mia said simply.
The two walked around, keeping the other in their peripheral vision at all times.
“Who was that young demon you were protecting?  Is he your son?”
“Actually, my fiancé.  Ex fiancé,” she corrected.
“But he’s not more than a child, you dirty old lady.”
“I didn’t know.  He was so enchanting and had made a nice nest.  He’s a good provider.  But Roumain pointed out that I already had a husband, and this demon was a teenager.  Imagine my face.  Embarrassment factor: two blushes.”
Ruax sent the whip forward.
Mia anticipated this and jumped out of harm’s way.
He countered by driving forward, twirling with his sword, coming too near her left leg.
Mia kicked out, sending the surprised demon to the ground.  He brought the whip wide and snapped it back, sending the six snakes open-mouthed towards Mia.
She twisted, catching four of the six heads with the sharp edges of her armor.  They tumbled to the ground, their bodies waving blindly.  The two remaining snakes tasted the edge of Mia’s sword splitting them from throat to gut.
Ruax dropped the whip and rushed Mia, pushing her to the ground, their swords locking.  Mia mentally pulled an armored feather from her wing, sending it behind him, bringing it back to the demon, and tapping him flatly on the head.
He reached to brush it away.
Mia took this moment to rise.  She flipped over him, landed on her feet, and drove Altair’s sword upward, deep into Ruax’s body.  She bent him backward, breaking his back with her knee, as she reached around and snapped his neck.  She pulled out the sword, pushed him off her, and stuck it in his heart.
Ruax turned to ash.  She contemplated what had just happened.  It wasn’t anything spectacular, just something Nicholai had her practice over and over, eating mud each time she hesitated.  She was frozen.  She couldn’t look away from what she had done.
“Mia, lower your sword,” Lucifer said from behind her.
Mia whipped around and looked up into the face of Lucifer Morningstar and said, “It’s not mine.  It’s a loaner.”
He smiled and took it from her hand and set it on the ground.